Cigarette lighter assembly



Nov. 7, 1950 P. B. MILLER CIGARETTE LIGHTER ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 1, 1949INVENTOR. P/m'e 5/4/20 M///e/ flTTOR/V Patented Nov. 7, 1950 CIGARETTELIGHTER AssEMBL Price Bland Miller, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to MillerLiter Company, Kansas City, Mo., acorporation .of MissouriApplicationAugust 1, 1949,.Serial No. 107,866

5 Claims.

This invention relates to cigarette and cigar "lighters and has for itsprimary object the provision of a casing made from transparent materialpermitting the user to know at all times when the supply of fueltherefor needs replenishing and the provision of manually operatilemeans for saturating a wick compartment lorm'ing a part of the lighterwith the fuel only when desired and when the same becomes neces- S ry.

The most important object of the present invention is to improve uponthe lighter constructions forming the subject matter of my co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 700,310, filed Septem- 'ber 30, l946,'now Patent2,515,092, issued on July Another important object of the presentinvention relates to the construction of the cigarette lighter housingitself. including the arrangement of the various chambers andcompartments therein, all for the purpose of presenting an efficient,positively operating and inexpensive construction. I

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cigarettelighter having a specially formed valve construction capable of beingmanually operated exteriorly of the housing and having a form that willpositively prevent leaking of the'fuel from the tank therefor intothewick compartment eXceptWhen the valve is opened.

A still further object of the present invention relates to the way inwhich the inlet opening for the fuel compartment for the casing isclosed by the flint assembly, the latter being entirely removable fromthe case not only .for the purpose of filling thelighter with fuel, butfor replenish'ing the flints .as the same become necessary.

Other objects relate to details of construction including the particularform of the flint assembly; the manner in which the top wall of thelighter is removably mounted; and the way in which a swingable lid isprovided for the lighter that completely encloses the top wall thereofand encloses the valve plunger, the wick and the friction wheel of thelighter when the lid is in a closedposition.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a cigarette lighter assembly made inaccordance with my present invention.

Fig. .2 is a substantially central vertical crosssectional view taken online 11-11 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse, cross-sectional view taken 2 on'line IIIIII ofFig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

.Fig. A is a fragmentary, detailed, cross-sectional view taken on lineIVIV of Fig. 2,; and

Fig. 5 is'a stretched-out perspective view showing the component partsof the lighter.

One of the inherent defects of conventional cigarette lighters is theinability of the user of knowing precisely when the fuel supply thereofmust be replenished. Secondly, .insuch conventional lighters, the wickcompartment and the absorbent material therein are normally filled withthe fuel. Consequently, particularly when the lighter is initiallyfilled with fuel, leakage occurs and the wick becomes so fully saturatedthat much of the fuel is lost and oftentimes covers the entire exteriorof the lighter itself.

It is also desirable that all parts of .the lighter become completelyenclosed when the same is not in use and, therefore, theseimportantobjects, as well as others, are attainedby the lighter about to-bedescribed.

Abody, broadly designatedby the numeral l0,

. is shown completely assembled in Fig. 2 of the drawing and the variousparts thereof are clearly illustrated in Fig. 5.

Body .10 includes a fuel compartment l2 that is molded or otherwiseformed into an unitary structure open at its top and provided with acontinuous up-standing flange I4 at its uppermost edge. 7

Fuel compartment [2 is preferably oval-shaped in cross-section for prposes of convenience in handling and in carrying in pockets and purses.It is contemplated that the entire body I0 be made from a relativelylight material such as plastic and that at least the fuelcompartment 4 2be fully transparent to the end that the supply of fuel it therewithincan always be seen by the user. A centermost section 18 of the body I0is, however, preferably formed from translucent material as is a lidsection 20. For purposes of attractiveness however, the lid 20 may bemade from materials differing from that of sections 42 and 18 such as ametal substance or other opaque material. Similarly, the section l8 maybe entirely opaque if desired.

The section l8 of the case or housing 10 is provided with a bottom wall22 that serves as a normally horizontal partition for the case II] whenthe various sections thereof are in the assem'bled condition. SectionsI2 and I8 are interconnected with the partition wall 22 entirelycovering the open top of fuel compartment l2,

the bottom wall 22 of the centermost section I8 being provided with acontinuous groove 24 for receiving the up-standing flange I4 of fuelcompartment I2. To the end that the compartment I2 is renderedliquid-tight, a press-fit between flange I4 and groove 24 iscontemplated, together with a suitable fusing or adhesion of flange I4in groove 24. The centermost section I8 of the case I8 is provided withan open top wick compartment 26 having the partition wall 22 as thebottom thereof and an internally tapped bore 28 next adjacent thecompartment 26 for receiving a flint assembly broadly designated by thenumeral 38.

The bore 28 is open at its top and bottom, thereby presenting an inletOpening for the compartment I2 and permitting pouring of the fuel I6thereinto when the assembly 38 is removed from bore 28 as illustrated inFig. 5.

The compartment 26 is provided with a filling of absorbent material 32that terminates below the uppermost open end of compartment 26 as shownin Figs. 2 and 5. A top wall or plate 34 is provided for the section I8,said plate being elongated and conforming to the cross-sectional contourof the body I8 and being provided with a circular opening 36 adjacentone end thereof for clearing the flint assembly 38.

The top wall 34 has an U-shaped member 38 depending from the lowermostface thereof made from any suitable resilient material. The member 38 isadapted to fit within the uppermost end of the compartment 26 with thelegs thereof extending thereinto and bearing tightly against theproximal side walls of compartment 26. The ends and the bottom of themember 38 are open and such member 38 yieldably holds a filling 48 ofabsorbent material having a. slightly greaterdensity than the material32. The member 38 is held in place and attached to the top wall 34 bymeans of a short up-standing tube 42 adapted to receive an elongatedwick 44 that extends downwardly through the material 48 and into thematerial 32 when the top plate 34 is in place in coveringreflationshipto the body section I8.

Top wall 34 is also provided with an opening 46 on that side of wick 44opposite to the opening 36 in register with an opening 41 in the bightof member 38 for clearing head 48 of an elongated 'reciprocable plunger58 that extends downwardly through the materials 48 and 32 andterminates at its lowermost end within the wick compartment Partition'22has an opening 52 in alignment with the openings 46 and 41 for clearingthe lowermost end of plunger 58. The lowermost end of the head 48presents a shoulder 54 for receiving the uppermost end of a spring 56that is coiled about the-plunger 58 and bears at its lowermost end uponthe uppermost face of partition 22 within wick compartment 26. Thelowermost end of the opening 52 in partition 22 has an outwardly flaredseat 58 forreceiving a washer-like valve 68 of resilient material thatcircumscribes the lowermost end of the plunger 58. This end of plunger58 is specially formed to hold the valve 68 in the position illustratedin Fig. 2 and in conformity with the contour of the valve seat 58. Tothis end, plunger 58 has an outwardly flared flange portion 62 and abulb-shaped portion 64, said portion 64 also serving to hold the valve68 against upward movement on plunger 58. It is seen that valve 68 isnormally held in the closed position with respect to opening 52 by theaction of spring 56 and that the fuel I6 will not flow into the wickcompartment 26 except by downward manual movement of plunger 58 by theoperator pushing upon head 48. A relatively tight sliding fit betweenthe head 48 and the openings 46 and 4? prevents liquid seepage to theuppermost face of wall 34.

The flint assemblies 38 includes an elongated tubular member 66 slightlylonger than the bore 28 within which it is disposed and having externalthreads 68 that mesh with the internal threads of bore 28 when theassembly 38 is in place. The uppermost end of the tube 68 is providedwith an out-turned flange 18 having a kerf 12 for permitting removal ofthe assembly 38 as desired. The body section I8 is provided with anoutwardly facing shoulder #4 adjacent the uppermost end of bore 28 forreceiving a gasket 16 that underlies the flange I8 of tube 66.

A plug I8 is threadably mounted in the lowermost end of the tube 66 andis provided with a end for receiving an elongated coil spring 82. -A

second tubular member 84 is telescoped into the uppermost end of thetube66, tube 84 being open at its bottom and split into a pair ofsubstantially semi-circular halves as ShOWn in Figs. 2 and 4.

Tube 84 is internally threaded at its lowermost end for receiving theuppermost threaded end of plug 18. The uppermost end of the tube 84slidably receives flint 86 that is yieldably held against a frictionwheel 88 by means of a follower 98 that is received by the uppermost endof the spring 82. In addition to being held in place by the plug I8,tube 84 is held in the tube. 66 by a press-fit that is enhanced by thesplit ends thereof bearing against the innermost walls of tube 66 by theinherent resiliency of the material from which tube 84 is formed. Theuppermost end of the tube 84 is bifurcated, one leg 92 being shown inFig. 2 of the drawing for receiving the friction wheel 88 therebetweenthat is in turn journaled onashaft94.

The lid 28 of case I8 is designed to completely cover the uppermost faceof the top wall 34 and isprovided with a downwardly extending boss 96adjacent one end thereof that is received by a cavity 98 in the bodysection I8. Cavity 98 is at one end of the section I8 opposite to thebore 28 and an opening I88 formed in section I8 in registeringrelationship with the bottom wall of cavity 98, receives a tube I82 by apress-fit.

The uppermost end of the tube I82 has a U-shaped bracket I84 thereonwith the legs thereof provided with openings I86 for receiving a shaftI88 that passes through theboss 96 of lid 28. Tube I02 has a coil springI I8 therein for holding a pin II 2 biased upwardly against the proximallowermost end of the boss 96. Accordingly pin II2 and spring III]yieldably hold'the lid 28 in the closed position shown in Fig. 2 as wellas in an open position when the lid 28 is swung on pivot pin I88 toexpose the uppermost I face of wall 34 and the parts thereon.

the head 48 respectively. The lowermost face.

of the lid 28 rests flatly upon the wall 34 when lid 28 is in the closedposition shown in Fig. 2,

thereby completely enclosing all of the upstanding parts on wall 34.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the lighter is placed in use byswinging the lid 28 to an open position and actuating the wheel 88weeps;

to project particles'o'f flint 86 toward the'wick 44'; The flame-may beeither blown "out Or -extingui'shed by the-closing of lid 2-0 as'desired. When the wick 44 becomes dry, the operatorm'erelypressesdownwardly upon the head 48 of plunger 50 to open valve 60 andthereupon tips the entire lighter to permit the fuel 1-5 to flow throughopening 52 and into the fuel compartment 26 to saturate materials 32 andM] as well as the wick 44. 1

When the supply of "fuel l6 becomes low, the operator merely removes theentire assembly 30 by use of a toolor-eoi-n in the slot 1-2. The-entiretube 66, together with the tube 84 and plug 78 can then be removed fromthe bore 28 and the fuel poured into bore 28. When assembly 30 iswithout the bore 28, the operator may remove the plug 18, spring '82 andfollower 90 torepl'ace flints 86. It is apparent that at no time willthere be excess fuel on the exterior of the lighter or adjacent theuppermost 'face of wall 34 because the operator may predetermine theamount of fuel I6 that is permitted to fiow into the wick compartment26.

The entire lighter may be made extremely attractive by varying thecolors of the various sections l2, l8 and and in all respects thelighter is light, handy, simple to use and maintain and completelydevoid of bulkiness.

It is also manifest that the lighter forming the subject matter hereofis capable of many changes and modifications and accordingly, it isdesired to be limited only by the spirit of the invention ascontemplated by the accompanying claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a lighter of the kind described, a hollow, perforated case havinga partition dividing the same into a fuel compartment and-a wickcompartment, said partition having an opening formed thereininterconnecting the compartments; a valve normally closing said openingand movable to and from an open position; a reciprocable plungerconnected with said valve and extending through said wick compartmentand the perforation of said case to a point exteriorly of the case formoving the valve to said open position; a filling of loose, fibrous,absorbent material in the wick compartment; and a resilient holder onthe top wall extending into the wick compartment and frictionallybearing against said wall thereof for holding the top wall in place anda relatively dense fibrous pad of absorbent material carried by saidholder in circumscribing relationship to a portion of the wick in thewick compartment.

2. In a lighter of the kind described, a hollow case having a wallstructure setting off a fuel compartment and a separate wickcompartment, said wall structure having an opening formed thereininterconnecting the compartments; a valve head normally closing saidopening and movable into the fuel compartment to an open position from aplace against the wall structure; a reciprocable plunger having ashoulder therein, said plunger being joined to said valve head andextending to a point exteriorly of said case for moving the valve headto said open position; a relatively dense fibrous pad of absorbentmaterial mounted in the wick compartment in circumscribing relationshipto the plunger adjacent said perforation for impeding escape of fuelthru the perforation as the plunger is reciprocated; and a spring coiledabout the plunger entirely within a fuel compartment between saidpartition and said bottom wall, and a normally vertical-partitionjoining said top Wall and the horizontal partitiompresenting a'wickcompartment having a loose fl-l-lingof fibrous, absorbent materialtherein, and a flint assembly compartment, said top wall and saidhorizontal partition "each having a pair of spaced openings therein, oneopening of the top wall and one opening of the horizontal partitionregistering with the wick compartment and having an elongated,reciprocable plunger extending therethrough; a valve on the plunger forsaid one opening in the horizontal partition, the other opening of thetop wall and the other opening of the horizontal partition registeringwith said flint assembl compartment and having a flint assemblyextending therethrough; flint supporting means forming a part of saidassembly; a friction wheel carried by said supporting means exteriorlyof said top wall; a wick extending through said top wall and into thesaid wick compartment between the plunger and the friction wheel; and alid swingably to and from a position covering said top Wall, said lidbeing provided with separate cavities for receiving each of saidfriction wheels, the proximal end of said wick and the proximal end ofsaid plunger respectively,

4. In a lighter of the kind described, a hollow case having a top wall,a, bottom wall, a normally horizontal partition between the walls,presenting a fuel compartment between said partition and said bottomwall, and a normally vertical partition joining said top wall and thehorizontal partition, presenting a wick compartment having a loosefilling of fibrous, absorbent material therein, and a flint assemblycompartment, said top Wall and said horizontal partition each having apair of spaced openings therein, one opening of the top wall and oneopening of the horizontal partition registering with the wickcompartment and having an elongated, reciprocable plunger extendingtherethrough; a valve on the plunger for said one opening in thehorizontal partition, the other opening of the top wall and the otheropening of the horizontal partition registering with said flintcompartment and having a flint assembly extended therethrough; flintsupporting means forming a part of said assembly; a friction wheelcarried by said supporting means exteriorly of said top wall; a wickextending through said top wall and into the wick compartment, said topwall being separate from the remainder of the case; a resilient holderon the top wall extending into the wick compartment and frictionallybearing against said walls thereof for holding the top wall in place;and a relatively dense fibrous pad of absorbent material carried by saidholder in circumscribing relationship to a portion of the wick in thewick compartment.

5. In a lighter of the kind described, a hollow case having a top wall,a bottom wall, a normally horizontal partition between the walls,presenting a fuel compartment between said partition and said top walland a normally vertical partition joining said top wall and thehorizontal partition, presenting a wick compartment having a loosefilling of fibrous, absorbent material therein, and

a flint assembly compartment, said top wall and said horizontalpartition each having a pair of spaced-openings therein, one opening ofthe top wall and one opening of the horizontal partition registeringwith the wick compartment and hav: ing an elongated, reciprocableplunger extending therethrough; and a valve head on the plunger for saidone opening in the horizontal partition, the other opening of the topwall and the other opening of the horizontal partition registering withsaid flint assembly compartment and having a flint assembly extendingtherethrough, said flint assembly comprising a removably mounted tubularmember, a tube having internal threads positioned in the upper portionof said tubular member, extending outwardly therefrom and having a flintand a flint wheel carried by the outwardly 1 xtendin por i n, Spring andfollower assembly for urging the flint against the flint wheel, and anexteriorly threaded plug closing the inner end of the tubular member andin threaded engagement REFERENCES CITED I r The following references areof record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name I Date 2,438,632 Bushman Mar. 30, 1947I FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 79,997 Switzerland June 18, 1938100,850 Austria Aug. 25, 1925 242,905 Switzerland June 15, 194:6 526,095France June 24, 1921 853,002

France Nov. 18, 1939

